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People group profile · PG042786

The Sahrawi of Morocco

The Sahrawi of Morocco, numbering about 691,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an ethnic group of mixed Hassani Arab and Sanhaji Amazigh descent indigenous to the western part of the Sahara Dessert.

They are an indigenous people in the Arab, Hassaniya people cluster of the Arab Peoples. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam, and they primarily speak Hassaniyya.

Pray for the SahrawiPrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Sahrawi people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: Saharawi

Fast facts

Country
Morocco
Population
691,000
Affinity group
Northern African and Middle Eastern Peoples
People cluster
Arab, Hassaniya
Primary language
Hassaniyya (mey)
Primary religion
Sunni Islam
Strategic Progress Index ?
Engaged yet Unreached
Evangelical
No Known Evangelicals
GSEC ?
Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
Lostness priority ?
Frontier Unreached People Group
Region
Northern Africa, Africa

Where they live

Gospel status

The Sahrawi are Engaged yet Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, but there are sustained efforts to establish self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. In GSEC terms, this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.

  • Congregations exist No
  • Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted

Next steps for the Sahrawi

  • Continue prayer and fasting for this group
  • Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
  • Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Primary religion

Sunni Islam · Islam

100% adherents

Primary language

Hassaniyya · Afro-Asiatic family

100% speak Hassaniyya

Gospel resources in Hassaniyya

  • Bible available
  • JESUS Film available
  • Radio programs not available
  • Gospel recordings available
  • Audio resources available
  • Bible stories available

Films

  • JESUS (Arabic, Hassaniya)

Bibles

Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.

Pray for the Sahrawi

  1. Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.
  2. Matthew 9:37–38. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest field.
  3. 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.
  4. Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.

Download a prayer guide

Sahrawi in other countries

The same people is also reported in 2 other countries.

People groupCountryPopulationStatus
SahrawiWestern Sahara274,000Unengaged and Unreached
SahrawiAlgeria241,000Engaged yet Unreached

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